Greenwashing
The "green" movement is catching on like wildfire! And that's great...but you know who else is noticing the trend? Corporations. The companies you buy your household products from. Many of these companies know that customers value products that are safe and non-toxic, but don't really want to put in the work to change the formulas of their products to cater to those customers. If you're a busy mom like me, chances are you don't have the time or energy to research every ingredient in every product you buy. Obviously, this is a great opportunities for companies to "trick" people into advertising their not-so-eco-friendly products as eco-friendly. A lot of them don't outright lie, but can easily (and legally) disguise their products by simply changing the colors (to green most likely) or adding images of flowers, trees, and even go so far as to rename ingredients to make them seem more sustainable (I'M LOOKING AT YOU, PALM OIL USERS!). This tactic is called "greenwashing", which is basically the act of overstating or overstressing the green credibility of a product. This is more of a result of marketing tactics than actual research and development. I myself have been a victim of this, so I'm much more careful now about what I buy. If I'm ever in doubt (and not in a hurry to buy that product), I simply refuse to buy it and do the research when I have the time.
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| A "greenwashed" product I've been guilty of buying in the past |
There are also a lot of products out there that are partially eco-friendly. You can easily buy a hairbrush with a wooden biodegradable handle, but the bristles may be plastic or some other less-than-desirable material (but the product is still marketed as "eco-friendly"). I've also bought a lot of eco-friendly products online that came in plastic or Styrofoam packaging. I'll make this short, but all I wanted to emphasize is the importance of being more conscious of what we buy. How do we do that when we're so busy and don't have the time to research? Here are some tips that may help:
1. Go with your gut instinct: I see a lot of products advertised on Amazon as "eco-friendly" but when you scroll down for product details, they don't have much information to back up their claims. I also avoid products with gimmicky descriptions (**GOOD FOR ENVIRONMENT, DO YOUR PART, etc.). If the product looks shady, it probably is.
2. Start asking questions: Ex. Those utensils you're wanting to buy are made with bamboo. Great! Was the bamboo harvested in a sustainable manner? If that's what they claim, is there a certification seal from a reputable organization on the product? Unfortunately once you start asking questions, it usually leads to more questions than answers.
3. Pay attention to packaging: If I'm shopping for eco-friendly products on Amazon, I like to see reviews that other customers have posted, because one or two of them will comment on packaging. If a manufacturer is truly striving to be eco-friendly, then their eco-friendly product shouldn't come wrapped in plastic or styrofoam.
4. Take it one day at a time: The research process can get overwhelming, so (when I have time) I pick one ingredient a day that I'll Google and read about. Ex. Monday - sodium lauryl sulfate, Tuesday - glycerin, etc. Not all ingredients with complicated names are bad, and a lot of ingredients are disguised with other names, so doing as much research as possible only benefits you.
5. Go local whenever you can: This doesn't just apply to household products, but food too. Ex. when you're buying eggs, terms like "cage-free" or "free range" sound nice but can be misleading. You're much better off perusing your local farmer's markets and buying your eggs through a small vendor you can get to know personally as opposed to a giant corporation. I used to buy honey from the grocery store and thought I'd be safe with buying anything labeled "pure natural". But without a certification seal, it's hard to tell. I started looking into local beekeepers in my area through my state's association, and I managed to find an abundance of local producers with quality products. It's more expensive and takes up more of my time, but if I can afford it then why not help the environment AND support my local economy?
2. Start asking questions: Ex. Those utensils you're wanting to buy are made with bamboo. Great! Was the bamboo harvested in a sustainable manner? If that's what they claim, is there a certification seal from a reputable organization on the product? Unfortunately once you start asking questions, it usually leads to more questions than answers.
3. Pay attention to packaging: If I'm shopping for eco-friendly products on Amazon, I like to see reviews that other customers have posted, because one or two of them will comment on packaging. If a manufacturer is truly striving to be eco-friendly, then their eco-friendly product shouldn't come wrapped in plastic or styrofoam.
4. Take it one day at a time: The research process can get overwhelming, so (when I have time) I pick one ingredient a day that I'll Google and read about. Ex. Monday - sodium lauryl sulfate, Tuesday - glycerin, etc. Not all ingredients with complicated names are bad, and a lot of ingredients are disguised with other names, so doing as much research as possible only benefits you.
5. Go local whenever you can: This doesn't just apply to household products, but food too. Ex. when you're buying eggs, terms like "cage-free" or "free range" sound nice but can be misleading. You're much better off perusing your local farmer's markets and buying your eggs through a small vendor you can get to know personally as opposed to a giant corporation. I used to buy honey from the grocery store and thought I'd be safe with buying anything labeled "pure natural". But without a certification seal, it's hard to tell. I started looking into local beekeepers in my area through my state's association, and I managed to find an abundance of local producers with quality products. It's more expensive and takes up more of my time, but if I can afford it then why not help the environment AND support my local economy?
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